This application claims the benefit of Disclosure Document No. 487548 filed Jan. 22, 2001.
This invention relates to an improved walker for use by persons having physical disabilities.
More specifically, this invention relates to an improved and safer walker having wheel assemblies that can traverse rough surfaces and roll over small obstacles without wheel drag.
Walkers are commonly used as a support by many of the frail aged and other persons with physical disabilities while they are moving from place to place. One typical walker in use today consists of a generally rectangular, tubular frame having four legs and open at the rear. In some variations of that walker design, all four legs terminate in caps or buttons that slide along or otherwise engage the floor or other walking surface. The invalid walker described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,535 is of such design,
In another design variation, the two front walker legs are provided with wheels while the floor engaging ends of the rear legs terminate in a cap or button that slides along the floor or other surface as the user moves with the walker. The rear legs of this walker design tend to catch on minor surface irregularities and require the user to lift the rear of the walker to advance it, a task that often is difficult for many users. One approach to solving that problem has been to provide wheels on the rear walker legs as well as on the front. A full-wheeled walker is easier for a user to advance but also tends to be less stable, particularly when the user attempts to use the walker to aid or regain balance. That instability problem, in turn, has promoted efforts to provide a variety of braking systems that either act upon one or more of the walker wheels or rely upon an appendage to contact and drag along the floor or other walking surface. Examples of full-wheeled walkers that also incorporate a braking system include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,765,355, 5,020,560 and 6,068, 273. A large variety of rolling (wheeled) walkers are available on the market today. Some are four wheeled and some are three wheeled. Many are adjustable in a variety of fashions and they include all kinds of features, such as baskets, bags, seats and brakes. Many of them fold for easy transportation. As can be appreciated, addition of baskets, bags, seats, brakes and the ability to fold increases greatly increases the cost.
None of the prior art walkers provide wheel means that can smoothly traverse small obstructions such as carpet edges, elevator doorways electrical cords, twigs and small branches, gravel, sidewalk irregularities and the like. This invention fills those needs.
Development of a rotating walker which can smoothly traverse small obstructions such as carpet edges, elevator doorways electrical cords, twigs and small branches, gravel, sidewalk irregularities and the like represents a great improvement in the field of walker designers and satisfies a long felt need of the disabled public.
The present invention is an improved rolling walker of the type having a frame, and a leading wheel, which has a low point, rotatably attached to the bottom of the frame at its front. The improvement comprises an intermediate wheel, which is rotatably attached to the bottom of the frame, close to and behind the leading wheel so that the low point of the intermediate wheel is lower than the low point of the leading wheel. Preferably the distance between the wheels is about xc2xc inch and difference between the low points is also xc2xc inch.
One way of making the low point of the intermediate wheel lower than the low point of the leading wheel is to make the axle of the intermediate wheel lower than the axle of the leading wheel. Another way of making the low point of the intermediate wheel lower than the low point of the leading wheel is to keep the axles at the same height but make the diameter of the intermediate wheel larger than the diameter of the leading wheel.
Hence, it is an object of this invention to provide a walker that rolls easily over small obstacles and is more maneuverable than are walkers of conventional design.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become evident from a study of the following description and accompanying drawings.